Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

 

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 an apple, peeled and grated

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

 

 

1. In a medium bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

 

2. In a measuring jug or small bowl, beat egg into milk, add honey and vanilla and beat until honey is all dissolved.

 

3. Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture, mix a little bit but while big lumps of flour remain, add grated apple and mix until barely combined.

 

4. Heat up a pan or griddle, add a little vegetable oil, and then drop 1/4 cups of pancake batter onto the pan. When bubbles appear on the surface, flip pancakes and cook for another minute before removing from pan.

 

5. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

 

 

 

Makes 8 small pancakes.

 

 

Note: Add more cinnamon if you like your pancakes with a stronger cinnamon flavor. I am my mother's child so there was just enough cinnamon for me.  What I may do the next time is add a tab bit more grated apple to the batter, and make an apple topping out of another chopped apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and a dash of orange juice and cook that until it is soft and gooey.

 





Corn Muffins

We love corn muffins with stew or any kind of chowder. And it is the easiest thing in the world to make your own -- it has a more tender crumb than the box kind.

 

 

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 C cornmeal

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 C shortening

1 C milk

 

 

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

 

2. Add eggs, shortening and half a cup milk to the dry ingredients and beat for a minute.

 

3. Add remaining milk and mix until just blended. Do not overmix.

 

4. Fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for  25 - 30 minutes. Cool for 3 minutes and then remove from pans and serve warm.

 

Makes 12 muffins.

 

 

Note: This recipe can be halved to make just 6 muffins. Great served with honey butter!



Marble Cake

David wanted a marble cake for his going away party and I made up a recipe that turned out very well. I've made it a couple of times now because John likes marble cake too. It starts with a yellow cake recipe which is great on its own.

 

 

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups milk

2 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder

4 - 5 Tbsp. hot water

 

 

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

 

2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour.

 

3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and hot water until it is smooth and spreadable. Remove one cup of batter and mix with the cocoa mixture.

 

4. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or one rectangular pan. 

 

 

 

5. Alternate yellow batter and the cocoa batter.

 

 

6. Use a knife and swirl the two batters together.

 

 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Leave the cake in the rectangular pan and frost top when completely cool.

 

8. Use frosting of your choice for the cake. I use a chocolate fudge frosting that goes well with the marble as well as yellow cake.



Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

This is a modified version of Ina Garten's recipe. We had picked blueberries in Vermont in the summer and I had frozen a tray full for use in the cool crisp days of fall. David was with us so I decided to try a new recipe for muffins. This is definitely a keeper -- it has a nice tender crumb and just enough sweetness to please everyone.

 

 

We spent a beautiful sunny Saturday picking these sweet blueberries

We picked over six pounds

 

12 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 oz. lite lemon yogurt

2 oz. sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 heaping cups fresh or frozen blueberries

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 18 paper liners in muffin pans.

 

2. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

 

3. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla, yogurt, sour cream, and milk.

 

4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With a wooden spoon add the flour mixture to batter until just mixed. Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries gently.

 

5. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup to just about the top and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top, and a cake tester comes out clean.

 

 

Note: Ina's recipe calls for 8 oz. of sour cream and no yogurt. I thought lemon and blueberries would go together very well and I was right.

 



Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe more than two decades ago in a country baking book before Sarah was born and have been making this pumpkin bread ever since. I like it because it is not overly spiced. I have an aversion to any food that is drowned by the cinnamon or nutmeg in it.

 

 

 

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2/3 cup water

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans or five mini loaf pans. Set aside.

 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, and pumkin and blend well.

 

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Alternately add flour and water to the pumpkin mixture, beginning and ending with flour, blend well after each addition.

 

4. Pour into greased pans and bake for  1 1/2 hours for the regular loaf pans and 30 - 40 minutes for the mini loaf pans or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

5. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I found and modified this recipe for an Olympic luncheon at work and loved the combination of soft cookie, tender coconut and dark chocolate. These cookies will be making many an appearance in our house!

 2 cups flaked sweetened coconut

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange coconut in a single layer on a large cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 7 minutes, making sure to stir every few minutes to prevent over-browning. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

3. Mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.

5. Add flour and mix well. Add toasted coconut and chocolate chunks and blend until well combined.

6. Drop by level tablespoons on an ungreased baking stone and bake for 13 minutes until cookies are lightly browned on the bottoms. If you are using a cookie sheet, lightly spray it before dropping the dough on it.

7. Remove cookies from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

This recipe makes about 48 cookies if you use a level tablespoon but about 38 if you use a melon baller.



Grilled Salmon

Got this recipe out of a low-carb cookbook ... yup ... trying to follow doctor's orders -- "eat more protein ... cut down on carbs and sugar".

Brush the glaze on the salmon pieces and let sit for a few minutes

The cooked salmon

12 oz. salmon, cut into 2 or 3 serving pieces

2 Tbsp. Splenda or regular sugar

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. blackstrap molasses

Pinch of pepper and salt

 

1. Mix together the Splenda, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, and molasses in a small dish. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the mixture in a separate dish.

2. Place the salmon pieces in a flat dish and pour the larger amount of sauce over the fish, turning each fillet so that both sides come into contact with the sauce. Let the fish sit for a few minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray lightly with vegetable oil and place salmon pieces on it. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of leftover sauce over salmon before serving.

Note: The glaze can be easily doubled for larger pieces of salmon.